Obama wins N.C; Clinton takes Indiana

Barack Obama supporters, from left, Alex Kragie, Loyd Kinnett, Scott Kragie and Judy Hoyer celebrate at the Hendersonville campaign headquarters for Obama after he was projected to win North Carolina.

MIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS

By CALVIN WOODWARDAssociated Press Writer

Published: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 7:48 a.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- On the rebound, Barack Obama left Hillary Rodham Clinton with fast-dwindling chances to deny him the Democratic presidential nomination after beating her in North Carolina and falling just short in an Indiana cliffhanger.

Facts

Exit polls: Race key but Wright's impact mixed

By ALAN FRAMAssociated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Race again played a pivotal role in Tuesday's Democratic presidential clashes, as whites in Indiana and North Carolina leaned solidly toward Hillary Rodham Clinton and blacks voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, exit polls showed. Almost half said they were influenced by the focus on Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Obama, the Illinois senator battling to become the first black president, again failed to gain ground with a crucial voting bloc that has consistently eluded him — working-class whites. But he was piecing together a coalition that besides blacks included the young, first-time primary voters, the very liberal and college graduates, plus sizable minorities of whites.

According to preliminary results from the Indiana exit polls and final data from North Carolina, about two-thirds of whites in both states who have not completed college were supporting Clinton. The New York senator could use that to fortify her argument that she would be the stronger Democratic candidate in the November general election. Of 28 states that held primaries in which she and Obama competed before Tuesday, Clinton had prevailed with working-class white voters in 25.

Wright was a looming factor in the voting, with nearly half in each state saying he was important in choosing a candidate. Of that group, seven in 10 in Indiana and six in 10 in North Carolina backed Clinton.

Those saying Wright did not influence them heavily favored Obama. In North Carolina, Obama got more votes from people saying they discounted the Wright episode than Clinton got from those affected by it, while in Indiana the two groups were about equal in size.

Among whites, eight in 10 in both states who said Wright affected their choice went with Clinton. That was well above the six in 10 whites overall who supported her.

In both states, two-thirds of Clinton's white voters said Wright was important. That compared to eight in 10 white Obama supporters who said Wright was not a factor.

Wright has said the U.S. government may have developed the AIDS virus to infect blacks and that the U.S. invited the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Obama denounced the remarks last week.

The six in 10 whites in both states supporting Clinton were similar to her margin over Obama among whites nationally so far, showing he continues to have trouble cutting into her support from those voters. Even so, his lopsided backing from blacks meant he didn't need white majorities Tuesday to be competitive.

The two rivals have been trying to win over top Democratic officials, the superdelegates, who may decide who gets the party's nomination. Clinton has argued that her strength with this group makes her the stronger candidate for the fall campaign. Obama's campaign says he will do well with those voters in November once he contrasts himself with Republican John McCain.

Nine in 10 blacks in both states were backing Obama — an even stronger margin than usual for a group he has dominated. That proved decisive in North Carolina, where they comprised about a third of voters — double their proportion in Indiana.

In another troubling sign for Obama, he and Clinton were running about even among independents, a group he usually wins.

Although Clinton had her usual lead among Catholics in Indiana, she and Obama were dividing them about equally in North Carolina. Obama also had an edge in both states among first-time primary voters, underscoring his continued ability to draw new voters to the polls.

North Carolina was clearly Obama's stronger state, and that showed among many groups of voters. He was leading there among young voters, college graduates and those earning more than $100,000 a year.

Clinton gave a better performance in Indiana.

She was making a robust showing there among white men, a group she and Obama have split about evenly but whom she won handily in Pennsylvania and Ohio. She and Obama were about equally dividing the votes in Indiana of whites under age 30 and people earning at least $100,000 a year, groups that usually have leaned toward Obama.

In both states, whites who said race was an important factor were favoring Clinton, as they have before. Older voters were also solidly behind her as usual.

Voters in both states overwhelmingly named the economy as the nation's top issue. While voters most concerned about the economy and who said they were affected by it were narrowly backing Clinton in Indiana, they were supporting Obama in North Carolina.

In the latest evidence of bitter feelings between the two camps, just under half of each candidate's supporters in both states said they would support the other against McCain in November. Analysts expect those heated feelings to wane once the party finally chooses its candidate.

The results were from exit polling by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for The Associated Press and television networks conducted in 35 precincts in each state.

The data was based on 1,738 people voting in Indiana's Democratic contest and 2,316 people in North Carolina, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points in Indiana and 3 points in North Carolina.

Obama was on track to climb within 200 delegates of attaining the prize, his campaign finally steadying after missteps fiercely exploited by the never-say-die Clinton.

His campaign dropped broad hints it was time for the 270 remaining unaligned party figures known as superdelegates to get off the fence and settle the nomination.

It was in that arena — even more than in the scattered primaries left — that the Democratic hyperdrama was bound to play out.

"You know, there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election," Obama told a roaring crowd in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday night, referring to Clinton's hope that an upset there would recast the race in her favor.

"But today what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, D.C."

Clinton vowed to compete tenaciously for West Virginia next week and Kentucky and Oregon after that, and to press "full speed on to the White House."

But she risked running on fumes without an infusion of cash, and made a direct fundraising pitch from the stage in Indianapolis. "I need your help to continue our journey," she said.

And she pledged anew that she would support the Democratic nominee "no matter what happens," a vow also made by her competitor.

In an overnight e-mail appeal for donations, Obama said: "We have a clear path to victory."

But even as Obama took the day off Wednesday to be with his family in Chicago, Clinton showed no public signs of easing her pace. The campaign added a noon Wednesday appearance in Shepherdstown, W. Va., to her schedule. On Thursday, she planned to campaign in West Virginia, South Dakota and Oregon.

Polarizing, protracted and often bitter, the contest is hardening divisions in the party, according to exit polls from the two states.

A solid majority of each candidate's supporters said they would not be satisfied if the other candidate wins the nomination.

Fully one-third of Clinton's supporters in Indiana and North Carolina went beyond mere dissatisfaction to say they would vote for Republican John McCain instead of Obama if that's the choice in the fall.

Obama scored a convincing victory of about 14 points in North Carolina, where he'd been favored. Clinton squeezed out a narrow margin in Indiana after a long night of counting.

Racial divisions were stark.

In both states, Clinton won six in 10 white votes while Obama got nine in 10 black votes, exit polls indicated.

It was a slightly better performance than usual by Clinton among whites, while Obama's backing from blacks was one of his highest winning percentages yet with that group.

Against the backdrop of disunity, pressure is certain to intensify on the superdelegates to declare themselves and lasso Democrats together for the fall campaign against McCain. They are not bound by results in primaries or caucuses.

"There is an eagerness in the party to get this done and move on," said David Axelrod, chief Obama strategist. "There is no question that we can see the finish line."

David Lutz, 53, of Trinity, N.C., who lives on his Army pension and flea market sales, paid tribute to Obama's resilience in explaining why he switched from supporting Clinton in the final days.

"I finally got swayed Obama's way," he said. "He's like a magician — he pulled a lot of good tricks out of his hat."

A look at the night's numbers:

—Obama won at least 69 delegates and Clinton at least 63 in the two states combined, with 55 still to be divided between the two candidates.

—Obama's delegate total reached 1815.5 to 1,672 for Clinton in The Associated Press count, out of 2,025 needed to win the nomination.

—Obama won North Carolina 56-42, with returns from 99 percent of precincts.

—Clinton won Indiana 51-49, with returns from 99 percent of precincts.

And the races still ahead:

—28 delegates at stake in West Virginia in a week.

—103 delegates up for grabs a week later in Kentucky and Oregon.

—55 in Puerto Rico on June 1.

—31 in Montana and South Dakota on June 3.

On Tuesday, Clinton fell short of the Indiana blowout and the North Carolina upset that might have jarred superdelegates into her camp in a big way.

They have continued trickling toward Obama despite the fallout over his former pastor's racially divisive remarks and Clinton's win in Pennsylvania two weeks ago.

Obama sounded increasingly focused on the fall campaign.

"This primary season may not be over, but when it is, we will have to remember who we are as Democrats ... because we all agree that at this defining moment in history — a moment when we're facing two wars, an economy in turmoil, a planet in peril — we can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term," he said.

Clinton was joined at her rally by her husband Bill, his face sunburned after campaigning in small-town North Carolina, and their daughter, Chelsea.

The New York senator stressed the issue that came to dominate the final days of the primaries in both states, her call for a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax. "I think it's time to give Americans a break this summer," she said.

Obama opposes the tax suspension, calling it a gimmick.

The impact of a long-running controversy over the Illinois senator's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, was difficult to measure.

In North Carolina, six in 10 voters who said Wright's remarks affected their votes sided with Clinton. A somewhat larger percentage of voters who said the pastor's remarks did not matter supported Obama.

Obama and Clinton both planned to campaign in the next primary states starting Thursday, after a day in Washington. Obama headed to Chicago after his Raleigh speech before coming to the capital.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -- On the rebound, Barack Obama left Hillary Rodham Clinton with fast-dwindling chances to deny him the Democratic presidential nomination after beating her in North Carolina and falling just short in an Indiana cliffhanger.</p><p>Obama was on track to climb within 200 delegates of attaining the prize, his campaign finally steadying after missteps fiercely exploited by the never-say-die Clinton.</p><p>His campaign dropped broad hints it was time for the 270 remaining unaligned party figures known as superdelegates to get off the fence and settle the nomination.</p><p>It was in that arena  even more than in the scattered primaries left  that the Democratic hyperdrama was bound to play out.</p><p>"You know, there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election," Obama told a roaring crowd in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday night, referring to Clinton's hope that an upset there would recast the race in her favor.</p><p>"But today what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, D.C."</p><p>Clinton vowed to compete tenaciously for West Virginia next week and Kentucky and Oregon after that, and to press "full speed on to the White House."</p><p>But she risked running on fumes without an infusion of cash, and made a direct fundraising pitch from the stage in Indianapolis. "I need your help to continue our journey," she said.</p><p>And she pledged anew that she would support the Democratic nominee "no matter what happens," a vow also made by her competitor.</p><p>In an overnight e-mail appeal for donations, Obama said: "We have a clear path to victory."</p><p>But even as Obama took the day off Wednesday to be with his family in Chicago, Clinton showed no public signs of easing her pace. The campaign added a noon Wednesday appearance in Shepherdstown, W. Va., to her schedule. On Thursday, she planned to campaign in West Virginia, South Dakota and Oregon.</p><p>Polarizing, protracted and often bitter, the contest is hardening divisions in the party, according to exit polls from the two states.</p><p>A solid majority of each candidate's supporters said they would not be satisfied if the other candidate wins the nomination.</p><p>Fully one-third of Clinton's supporters in Indiana and North Carolina went beyond mere dissatisfaction to say they would vote for Republican John McCain instead of Obama if that's the choice in the fall.</p><p>Obama scored a convincing victory of about 14 points in North Carolina, where he'd been favored. Clinton squeezed out a narrow margin in Indiana after a long night of counting.</p><p>Racial divisions were stark.</p><p>In both states, Clinton won six in 10 white votes while Obama got nine in 10 black votes, exit polls indicated.</p><p>It was a slightly better performance than usual by Clinton among whites, while Obama's backing from blacks was one of his highest winning percentages yet with that group.</p><p>Against the backdrop of disunity, pressure is certain to intensify on the superdelegates to declare themselves and lasso Democrats together for the fall campaign against McCain. They are not bound by results in primaries or caucuses.</p><p>"There is an eagerness in the party to get this done and move on," said David Axelrod, chief Obama strategist. "There is no question that we can see the finish line."</p><p>David Lutz, 53, of Trinity, N.C., who lives on his Army pension and flea market sales, paid tribute to Obama's resilience in explaining why he switched from supporting Clinton in the final days.</p><p>"I finally got swayed Obama's way," he said. "He's like a magician  he pulled a lot of good tricks out of his hat."</p><p>A look at the night's numbers:</p><p>Obama won at least 69 delegates and Clinton at least 63 in the two states combined, with 55 still to be divided between the two candidates.</p><p>Obama's delegate total reached 1815.5 to 1,672 for Clinton in The Associated Press count, out of 2,025 needed to win the nomination.</p><p>Obama won North Carolina 56-42, with returns from 99 percent of precincts.</p><p>Clinton won Indiana 51-49, with returns from 99 percent of precincts.</p><p>And the races still ahead:</p><p>28 delegates at stake in West Virginia in a week.</p><p>103 delegates up for grabs a week later in Kentucky and Oregon.</p><p>55 in Puerto Rico on June 1.</p><p>31 in Montana and South Dakota on June 3.</p><p>On Tuesday, Clinton fell short of the Indiana blowout and the North Carolina upset that might have jarred superdelegates into her camp in a big way.</p><p>They have continued trickling toward Obama despite the fallout over his former pastor's racially divisive remarks and Clinton's win in Pennsylvania two weeks ago.</p><p>Obama sounded increasingly focused on the fall campaign.</p><p>"This primary season may not be over, but when it is, we will have to remember who we are as Democrats ... because we all agree that at this defining moment in history  a moment when we're facing two wars, an economy in turmoil, a planet in peril  we can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term," he said.</p><p>Clinton was joined at her rally by her husband Bill, his face sunburned after campaigning in small-town North Carolina, and their daughter, Chelsea.</p><p>The New York senator stressed the issue that came to dominate the final days of the primaries in both states, her call for a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax. "I think it's time to give Americans a break this summer," she said.</p><p>Obama opposes the tax suspension, calling it a gimmick.</p><p>The impact of a long-running controversy over the Illinois senator's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, was difficult to measure.</p><p>In North Carolina, six in 10 voters who said Wright's remarks affected their votes sided with Clinton. A somewhat larger percentage of voters who said the pastor's remarks did not matter supported Obama.</p><p>Obama and Clinton both planned to campaign in the next primary states starting Thursday, after a day in Washington. Obama headed to Chicago after his Raleigh speech before coming to the capital.</p>